Slayer - Christ Illusion

Slayer's Christ Illusion marked the return of the classic lineup, with drummer Dave Lombardo back behind the kit and the band sounding as furious as ever.

Released in 2006, it was Lombardo's first studio album with Slayer since Seasons in the Abyss, reuniting him with Tom Araya, Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman on record for the first time in nearly sixteen years. Produced by Josh Abraham, with Rick Rubin as executive producer, the album took aim at organized religion and war with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and its artwork stirred controversy before most people had heard a note.

Flesh Storm kicks things off with Lombardo's double-kick barrage and King's razor-wire riffing, and Eyes of the Insane, a harrowing portrait of a soldier's trauma, earned the band a Grammy. Jihad confronts terrorism from an uncomfortably close vantage point, while Cult is a blistering broadside that ranks among the record's most savage moments.

The Hanneman and King guitar assault is as precise as it is punishing, and Araya's bark sounds renewed, as if Lombardo's return lit a fire under everyone in the room.

For thrash devotees, this is proof the band still had plenty of venom left in the tank, and a vital late-period chapter in the Slayer story.